Independent MPs have become a shadow government

Rigged political processes, reform laws, hate speech, scandal with wiretapped materials, divisions and distrust, managing political crises, conflicts between fan groups, LGBT rights, changes in the Criminal Code… These are just some of the social spheres where the newly formed parliamentary group on reconciliation, reform and integration wants to influence. Established with the aim of enacting the Law on Amnesty for the events of 27 April and to provide a two-thirds majority in the Assembly for constitutional changes, the government and opposition MPs, who after independence from VMRO-DPMNE became independent, found common language and other laws where they need 80 votes “in favor”.

Ramcilovic: We did not ask for extra privileges

But the general impression is that they are have “gone too far with the reconciliation,” and now they go to other extremes. The top of everything was a controversial request the other day, with which MPs, after the expiration of their terms in the legislature, would be given priority in employment in the public administration. The draft law that was publicly announced by Redzail Ismaili of the DUI party, chairman of the reform working group, claiming that the independent MPs were involved in this, was taken with angry reactions from the media and the citizens, which is why everyone is now trying to wash their hands off of it.
“We, as a caucus, did not initiate, nor did we prepare any draft law for MPs. We are focused on the entire period of steps that lead to reconciliation, further improvement of the solutions for constitutional changes and, of course, the reform laws, and we do not consider this a necessary reform in the process of Macedonia’s accession to the EU and NATO,” Zekir Ramcilovic from the independent parliamentary group told Nezavisen Vesnik/Independent Newspaper.
Associated with or not with the disputed law, which, according to our information will be expressly rejected by the ruling majority after the expressed disapproval among the citizens, analysts warn that the game of giving in has begun, which makes it difficult to get out of it. The power given to them by the eight key votes to ratify the name agreement with Greece is a huge argument for the independent MPs to also push issues that would go along with the amnesty, of which “only” three of the eight excluded from the coalition “For Better Macedonia” would benefit.
Former MP Goran Mincev of SDSM symbolically reminded that yesterday was December 24, the day when violence in the Parliament happened six years ago and the brutal throwing out of opposition MPs when the budget for the coming year was about to be voted. That day marks the beginning of the fall of the former government and Nikola Gruevski. He disagrees with some of the policies of the current government, and absolutely does not agree with the Amnesty Law.

Two-thirds support necessary for other laws as well

“There should not have been any kind of amnesty law, because it itself is part of a bargain for securing a two-thirds majority. Such a method of amnesty, which is partial in form, to me it seems as if someone has set up a mine, which would kill soldiers, but the one who ordered it, and not the one who set it up, is the one who is guilty. For me personally, the ones that blame are those who opened the doors to parliament. Such a retarded amnesty causes the government to find itself in a unfavorable position, and the eight MPs that have secured the two-thirds majority in an extremely pleasant situation and even have a leading role in the processes. Suddenly, from defendants of terrorism and coup, they have become pro-Western oriented, and in fact they are just “shopkeepers” fighting for their own interests”, Mincev said directly.
According to Mincev, the one who trades with these MPs and who justifies this act as a necessary evil in order to achieve a bigger goal, the EU and NATO, will always be blackmailed that there will be no agreement on any law, unless what is asked of them is fulfilled.
“It’s totally unjustified. The legal system is being violated and the principle of equality of citizens is no longer valid, which in turn leads to: ‘No justice – No peace,’ the former SDSM deputy concluded.
MP Frosina Remenski-Tasevska, the co-chair of the Parliamentary Coordinative Body for Reconciliation, responded calmly to the notion that the independent MPs took over the government’s job.
“Each of the MPs can submit a request or initiative for any law, an amendment or a decision, but that does not mean that it will be accepted,” Remenski told Nezavisen Vesnik.
Initiatives in working sub-groups end up in the Inter-Parliamentary Group on Integration, Reform and Reconciliation. They concluded that the subject of their interest would be more legal solutions, among which the Law on Courts, the Law on the Judicial Council, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Law on Media, the Law on Prevention of Corruption, the Law on Misdemeanors, the Law on Administrative Disputes, the Law for the Council of Public Prosecutors, the Law on Special Public Prosecution, the Law on free access to information of free character… For a large part of them, two-thirds support will be necessary.

Goran Adamovski